St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-17
VIGILANTES NEEDED.
Startling Exposures of Cor
ruption in Legal Matters
at San Francisco.
Judges and Juries the Recip-
tents of BribeS Almost
Openly Given.
A New Line Of Steamers to
Compete With the Pacific
Mail Monopoly.
Ex-senator Fair Again Puts
the Bank Of Nevada
on Its Feet.

Special to the Globe.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 16.-Neyer since
the early days of the vigilantes has San
Francisco been so thoroughly aroused to
the realization of the corruption seeth-
ing in its midst as now. What little
success was obtained in melting out pun
ishment to few of those implicated
only seems to have whetted a desire to
make thorough clean up of the nefari-
Gus pursuit of Judge and jury bribery.
One more step was gained in this direc-
tion during the past week, though not
SO advantageous as is would appear on
the surface. The conviction of jury
briber Emerson, who pleaded guilty of
an attempt to bribe juror in the ''Lit-
tie Pete" case, was hailed at first as a
great victory, but mature reflection has
made clear the fact that his conviction
was really vicarious sacrifice for insur-
ing the safety of others who
hold a higher position than
a lawyers clerk. 1t has been a
matter of public comment that he was
paid large sum of money to forego
trial and plead guilty in order to pre-
vent a thorough investigation of the
case, which would undoubtedly lead to
dangerous disclosures and implicate the
masters of ring of jury bribers, whose
fountain head is generally stated to be
Chris a. Buckley, notorious political
boss of Bush street. This judicious dis
posal of Emerson and the gang by the
same influence of Little Pete, who is
now imprisoned at Folsom for bribery,
will possibly prevent the moral probe
entering further in a direction which
might bring it up against Buckley and
his principal lieutenants.
The alleged attempt to- bribe Judge
Sullivan in the celebrated Sharon
divorce case sank out of sight like a
meteor dropping in midocean when
Judge Sullivan testified before the grand
jury that no such attempt was made.
Within chagrin d. $. Terry, who
made the charge, had to admit that the
basis of his allegation was
MERELY A STREET RUMoR,
aud so an anXiously anticipated sensa-
ton fizzled out. Another trail and that
a hot one, is being followed in an effort
to punish some of those charged with at
tempted jury fixing in the Wright VS..
Geary street railroad case. Notwith-
victed in this connection, has fled and
the principal witnesses have been sent
out of the country, the prosecution of
those believed to be the instigators of
the crime is being vigorously carried on.
These are r. F. Morrow and James Nc
Cord. the former reputed millionaire
and the latter also wealthy man with
the powerful influence of prominent
persons at his command. Though many
express small hopes of seeing convic-
ton result in either case, yet others say
if millionaires have been convicted in
New York and Chicago of similar
crimes, why cannot the same be done
here? To such an extent are the best
people of the city awakened to the state
of affairs that
A SECRET ORGANIZATION
has been formed, said to have at its
head w. 7. Coleman. whose name has
been mentioned in connection with the
chief magiStracy of this country, and
who has figured as leader of the vigi-
lantes in that good work of the early
days. 1t is known as the committee of
necessity" and is composed of 100 MEM
berS who subscribe s. monthly to a fund
which is to be raised in aiding the grand
Jury in it's work of purifying municipal
matters in general and prosecuting these
jury-bribing cases in particular. The
latest phase of the Morrow case was his
being cast into Jail on Saturday, not
withstanding that he was under $4,000
bonds to appear for trial. The prOSecu-
ton evidently do not mean to take any
chances in the matter.